Japanese meals are about the cheapest, most easily made, and most nutritious that you can make. This Okra Salad is a perfect accompaniment that you can whip up in a few minutes to go along with a standard meat dish like Chicken Teriyaki or Japanese Ginger Pork, or it can just be eaten with boiled rice as a light meal.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, traditionally known as Seneca the Younger, was one of the best-known of Stoic philosophers. He was the son of Marcus Annaeus Seneca, a Roman historian and rhetorician, who was also known as Seneca the Elder, and brother to the proconsul of Achaea, Gallio, who is said to have impartially judged the charges of insurrection brought against the Apostle Paul by the Jews of Corinth (Acts 18:12-17).

The Seneca family came from the city of Corduba (modern Cordoba) in the province of Baetica in Spain, one of the wealthiest provinces in the Roman Empire. Baetica produced large quantities of wine and olive oil, and was sometimes referred to as Baetica Felix (Blessed Baetica) on account of its agricultural wealth.

A cheeseburger may not be everyone's idea of a healthy meal, but if
you do make your own burger patties, you can not only control what
actually goes into them, but also cook them on a grill to reduce the
amount of fat that you eventually consume.

Preparation method

Heat
up the olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the cumin seeds and dried cloves and fry till they begin to crackle.

Throw
in the chopped onion and cook until it is browned. Then add the garlic, chilli and
basil and cook for another one minute.

Add the
bacon and cook till it is nearly done.

Then
add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further two minutes.

Put
the lentils and water in a separate pot, bring to the boil and allow to
simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the lentils and water to the cooked bacon
and tomatoes, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.

Allow
the soup to cool, then liquidise with a hand blender or food mixer.